Assassin of the Heart
by Kikomimo727
Summary: In a medieval world, Jasper is a hired assasin, on a mission to eliminate the Princess Alice. What happens when he grows closer to Alice than he'd ever imagine? Rated M just in case, for violence
1. Prologue

Prologue - Jasper

I'd never imagined I'd have to kill someone I, dare I say it, loved.

It was my job, and it was my purpose. Of course, when the stakes are the highest, I'm choking. Choking, for the fact that it's my choice between whom I'm loyal to, and the one that is dearest to my heart. It's not as if I can refuse, but my head is screaming at the thought. I guess my mind is already made.

I have to kill Alice.


	2. Chapter 1

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**Chapter One**

Jasper

The dreary night in Larkton was nothing short of ordinary. Our small country along the Mediterranean always seemed to catch the rainiest bits of weather, particularly in the spring. I was on my way to The Drinking Horn, a local tavern and brewery that happened to be my place of lodgings and business. Entering the bar, I found the usual stench of ale almost tangible, and pushed past some of the drunks to make my way to my office.

I ripped my cloak off, and an interrupting cough came from my desk. It seemed I had a visitor, and I placed my hand wearily on my sword, ready for defense if need be.

"Calm down, fair sir," the man called, before revealing himself. "I'm afraid I have yet to introduce myself. I'm James. I trust that you are Jasper."

"You assume correctly. May I inquire as to why you are here?" I cautiously took a step forward, examining James further. His garb seemed to suggest that he was a traveler, from his loose fitting clothes. Scraggly blonde hair and an un-kept beard were also present, and a single tooth was missing from his smile.

"Maria sent me." I stiffened instantly. "She seems to think that you can handle a mission of this caliber, although I rather doubt it." James seemed a bit put off, and shoved his hands in his pockets.

Maria had been the one to first take me in off of the streets, teaching me everything that I now knew about being the best assassin possible. I've been on my own now for three years, accepting petty cases, with not much word from Maria, since she moved back to Texana. But why did she feel the need to call me now. It must be dire, if she isn't willing to send one of her own to complete the mission.

"I can assure you, I can handle the case. Please continue," I urged him, as he seemed a bit hesitant to speak aloud.

"You are acquainted with the Princess, correct?" Of course I knew her. No one would ever shut up about her. She's feeding the poor, helping injured animals, blessing children in the streets. A bunchload of bull in my opinion, but of course, I hold my tongue. "She must be eliminated."

Kill the Princess? Princess Alice was one of the most protected and beloved people in the city. A challenge, but an interesting one.

"I accept." I could handle this mission. They didn't call me the best assassin of the land for a reason. I could do this.

"I've obtained you a job position already. You'll be the next personal guard for Princess Alice." James seemed relieved that I'd actually accepted the project, and seemed to be memorizing all of the information possible. "Maria says you have half of a year, just kill her before the Coronation."

Ah, the Coronation. It was rumored to be a splendid and grand event, and the Princess was personally planning every aspect of the day, with a cake ten tiers high. Of course, with peasants in the streets and our country on the verge of war, she needs a ten tier cake.

Even since Princess Alice's parent's died at sea, the Princess and Parliament had been in an uproar to stabilize the country. Currently, Princess Alice would be making executive decisions with Parliament as advisors, although not much of consequence had happened in the past six months.

"You'll be starting in two days, and you'll be under the name of Jasper Revvings. Good luck, and Godspeed." James bowed slightly, before breezing past me, and exiting the premises.

My mission began.


	3. Chapter 2

Jasper

It was day one of my new mission, and I was now standing outside the castle's door, with a simple rucksack on my back, and a sword by my side. The castle towered high into the sky, made from an old gray brick, making the castle as secure as the strongest military base. The gate was creaking open slowly, and if it didn't open any faster, I'd possibly kick it through. Finally, a short old man in the Princess's livery of purple and silver allowed me passage, and I entered the place I would be staying at for possibly the next six months.

Inside of the castle walls, servants were scurrying like chickens with their heads cut off, the anxiety in the air so thick it could be cut with a knife. What in the world could possibly make the staff so riled up? I heard some people muttering about the Princess hosting some sort of fashion show the next day, but I couldn't believe them to be serious.

A small little pixie of a Princess, inspiring that much fear? It was utterly absurd. I shook my head to myself, before conversing quietly with a stationed guard as to where I would head to find my barracks and overseer. The guards' barracks were off to my left, and upon entering, I saw that the conditions that I would be living in would be less than comfortable. A single straw bed and a miniature table with a candle was all that was afforded to me, and I dropped my bag under the table, and unsnapped my cloak from around my shoulders.

The head guard, a burly man, was now coming to greet me, and I could swear that he was as big as a grizzly bear. Curly brown hair framed his face, but was squished on top of his head in a casual hat, and he was one of the few people who weren't in some silly purple and silver uniform.

"Hello, I take it you're Jasper Revvings, our newest guard, correct?" He clapped me on the shoulder, as if we had been childhood friends. "I'm Sir Emmett McCarty, leader of guards in the castle. I'll be showing you the ropes for the moment, since most guards are currently at their posts." He began pacing towards the door, and I quickly followed after him.

I seemed to have missed the very beginning of the story he was now rambling on about, how he had slain a grizzly bear with his bare hands and skinned it for the blanket that now rested on his bed. I remained a bit skeptical, but decided to repress my comments, due to his excited mood. It must be rare for there to be a new addition, because he seemed to either be in very high spirits or a bit drunk. Emmett was showing me the ropes around the castle, including more secretive passageways that were used in case of emergency or attack. I nodded when needed, but he seemed to be able to carry a one-sided conversation very well.

We eventually returned to the barracks, and the sun was beginning to set in the distance. "Emmett, what is the situation of those uniforms? The silver and purple seems a bit absurd in all honesty, don't tell me we're required to wear those idiotic garments?" My distaste with the uniforms leaked into my voice, but I absolutely appalled purple, especially with gauzy metallic silver.

"Princess Alice designed those uniforms herself, actually," Emmett added, as if this simple fact would suddenly win me over to the uniforms. "Fortunately, I convinced her that they wouldn't be very practical for our department of fighting, so we have a more… revised uniform." He shuffled over to his bed, before pulling out a garment bag. "This will be your newest uniform, which you'll wear unless off duty or sleeping."

The garment bag revealed a pair of tailored black pants, and a button-down black top, with a deep purple aiguillette on the right shoulder, and a white picture of Princess Alice's family crest on the breast pocket of the shirt. Polished black shoes also lay at the foot of my bed, and I sighed in defeat as I accepted the uniform, shaking my head slightly. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, and at least it would let me move my arms without feeling like a child bundled up by their mother in the cold. I slipped on the new uniform, and I slipped my sword and its holster onto my belt.

"You'll be starting tomorrow, but right now, it's almost time for supper, so hurry up, you bag of bones!" Emmett 'gently' slapped the upside of my head, before heading outdoors, and a tall building, and there seemed to be more people hustling about, if that was even possible.

Emmett stopped in his tracks, his mouth slightly open, and I followed his eyes to seem a stunning blonde in a fitting red dress, and her bosom nearly spilling over her corset. "Emmett? Emmett! Earth to Emmett!" I nudged him with my elbow, and he snapped out of it slightly, but he still only had eyes for her. "So, who's the lucky lady?"

Emmett seemed a bit jittery, and his answer came out a bit shakily. "That's Lady Rosalie, a close friend of the Princess." I raised my eyebrow slightly, and he seemed to get the idea I was trying to convey. "What? No! I don't fancy her, not that way, it's utterly impossible! It's best to know now; the nobility won't give you the time of day, so don't bother." He sighed, and his shoulders fell slightly, and Lady Rosalie was now out of view. Showing me to the servant's dining hall, he showed me to the table that housed most of the guards.

I hesitantly took a seat, and glanced around the table, taking in the forms of my new colleagues. Most were slightly larger than myself, but I could use this to my advantage if need be. We had arrived partway through the meal, so some had already had their ale and were now munching as they told stories of times on post or the happenings of the day. I chose a goblet of water, which was also heavily decorated, most likely the Princess's doing. She couldn't keep her mind off of designing things as 'fashionable' as possible, could she?

"So, Jasper, you'll be the Pixie's personal guard?" One of the buffoons asked, a bit more drunk than most. "Have fun with that! I'm sure you'll look _lovely _in whatever the Pixie picks for you!" The men all started laughing, as if it was some sort of inside joke, and I partially dreaded the next morning as the guards headed off to their barracks. I trudged behind them, before slinking down into my own bed, and trying to fall asleep, while my mind was over processing the possibilities for tomorrow.

_**The Next Day**_

I was dreaming rather peacefully, when suddenly I was rolled off of my bed, and onto the dirt floor. Spitting out the dust that had entered my mouth in the process, I glanced upwards to see a triumphant Emmett laughing in a giant, booming voice, waking up the others in the process. I sent him a glare, but he offered a hand to help me up, and I begrudgingly accepted it, dusting myself off in the process.

After the morning hygiene activities, I pulled on my new uniform, and ran my fingers through my dirty blonde locks. My hair now hung an inch or two below my ears, and had a bit of a wave too it, that I had never been able to control. At the insistence of Emmett, I had to pull my hair pack into an extremely short ponytail at the nape of my neck. Looking into the only mirror the barracks held, I had to admit, I looked pretty good. My hair didn't wave when it was pulled back, and I looked more put together.

Emmett began explaining the proper rules of etiquette, and how I would be Princess Alice's shadow, and nothing more. I wasn't to talk to her unless talked to, and I should be as invisible as possible in the day's events. I kept this in mind as Emmett rambled on, and eventually all I did was occasionally nod my head in understanding, and he'd continue ranting, before we were at the doors of the grandest building of the castle. He knocked three times, and the door was opened by a small girl, no older than the age of 14. We were led up a flight of stairs, and the hallways were becoming more and more elaborate in decoration. Gold and silver seemed to be layered over the doorways and hall decorations, and I bet that if they flattened all of the gold in the palace into a blanket, it would cover all of Larkton.

Three flights of stairs later, we were in front of the most decorative doors that ever existed. It looked as if it was made of solid gold, and jewels were encrusted all around the door, even in the door knob! The servant girl rang a bell (She had a doorbell for her room!?), and I could hear the faint pattering of footsteps approaching the door. A butler ushered us in, and I could see a girl, no, it was a woman, sitting in the window seat, in a light green dress. She turned her head to us, and I lost my breath. I was staring at the Princess Alice, the most beautiful girl I had ever seen.


End file.
